Dust-Joining Harmonized Light

Cai Tingyue cried out in delighted surprise, "Quick, sit cross-legged and enter meditation!"

"Brother Hu, seize the chance!"

Before Cai Yuelin and Lei Zhaoye could even be reminded, they hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground, drawing in and exhaling the dense astral qi within the formation!

In the blink of an eye, aided by the Four Swords Sect's Four Swords Harmonious Light Formation, the two resonated with the disciples who were cultivating and breaking through alongside them, instantly advancing to the eighth tier of the first realm of Qi Refinement!

The two were overjoyed. They continuously drew in the pure astral qi permeating the formation, their dantians swelling to the point of bursting, and instantly rose again to the ninth tier!

"My son, Nephew Lei, you have both reached the limit of the first realm. You must consolidate yourselves properly and do not force another breakthrough for now!" Cai Tingyue warned them by voice transmission. The two youths forcibly suppressed their excitement, gradually slowing their pace to stabilize their realms!

"This old man has been stuck at the sixth tier of the fourth realm of Qi Refining for who knows how many years. Today, I have finally reached perfection. Once I am adequately prepared, I can break through to the seventh tier at any time! Heaven truly favors our sect!"

As Cai Tingyue observed the states of several youths' pill qi, he paced back and forth. "Could it be that Big Brother Ouyang has broken through to the Earth Immortal realm? I must go see!"

Watching his father rush off in quick strides like a young man, Cai Yuelin could not help laughing aloud. Hu Lieshan, however, wore a bitter expression. "You all broke through? How come I didn't feel a thing?"

Within the main hall of the Mount Tai Sword Alliance, Gong Haoyue was savoring the joy of a breakthrough he had not experienced in ages. Forcing down the trembling in his hands, he reached out with his right hand and fiercely pinched his left, laughing as he cursed, "You good-for-nothing thing, and reaching the seventh tier of the fourth realm has made you this happy!"

"What has Brother Gong so delighted?"

"Brother Ouyang!" Gong Haoyue was just about to get up when Ouyang Zhenyue smilingly stopped him. "Quickly consolidate your realm. It is still only empty fire!"

Gong Haoyue did not stand on ceremony and continued sitting cross-legged, drawing in and exhaling astral qi. When he opened his eyes again a moment later, Cai Tingyue, Lei Zhouyue, and Ouyang Zhenyue were already gathered around him!

"You scared the hell out of me!" Gong Haoyue stared at the six large eyes before him, laughing as he cursed while rising to his feet. "What realms have you brothers reached? Tell me, tell me!"

The three were greatly startled. "It wasn't him either?"

"Could it not have been Old Lei?"

"Then was it Ouyang?"

They exchanged questioning looks.

Gong Haoyue was shocked. "I thought Brother Ouyang or Brother Lei had broken through. That is why the Four Swords Harmonized Light formation caused such a huge commotion!"

"Not me. I benefited from it too!" Lei Zhouyue rubbed his forehead and smiled.

"Nor was it me! The ninth tier of the fourth realm of Qi Refining is no trifling matter. The pills and 'external qi' it requires are vast as the sea. Even just now, it only raised Brother Lei and me slightly into the middle stage of the ninth tier! To reach the late stage, let alone perfection, will take at least another ten years!" Ouyang Zhenyue sighed.

"Now you are being greedy. Going from the early stage to the middle stage of the ninth tier in the fourth realm of Qi Refining alone takes ten years. We have endured three hard years with pitifully little progress, yet you gained so much from that just now. What more do you want?" Lei Zhouyue flicked his nose.

Ouyang Zhenyue smiled and dodged aside.

"Fine! You dare dodge? Take this!" Lei Zhouyue raised his hand. Ouyang Zhenyue twisted sideways and pointed at his left waist. Lei Zhouyue's palm descended, and Ouyang Zhenyue spun again, pointing at his right leg!

The two were like spinning tops, turning faster and faster! Yet their Sword Qi remained condensed within only three feet, as a domain spread outward!

Gong Haoyue and Cai Tingyue clicked their tongues in amazement. "It has been a long time since those two went all out!"

"Who do you think will win?"

"Hard to say. If we count a contest of pill power, Brother Ouyang has better odds. After all, the Frostblade Sword Alliance's Mystic Elephant Essence-Condensing Art is no small thing!"

"Exactly. Our Four Swords Gate is famed for cultivating sword techniques, sword power, sword intent, and sword heart. We are not skilled in pill arts and can only be considered upper second-rate at best. But Brother Ouyang's Mystic Elephant Essence-Condensing Art possesses endless transformations, majestic and pure, comparable to the first-rate pill scriptures of the Seven Great Sects of the Nine Provinces!"

"By comparison, although Old Lei's Yin-Yang Creation Art has a fine-sounding name, its might is ultimately half a notch weaker!"

As the two spoke, Cai Tingyue suddenly cried out in alarm, "Wait, have we gotten the order of importance backward?"

Lei Zhouyue was enjoying the fight and laughingly cursed, "You did not mention it early or late. You stirred up the sword itch in us both, and now you want to talk business!"

"He did it on purpose!" Ouyang Zhenyue laughed loudly. "Old Cai, say it. No harm done! Ah, you old devil, you ambushed me!"

"Hehe, this is called all is fair in war!" Lei Zhouyue's sword momentum opened and closed, its power growing ever greater!

"Could this matter have something to do with Brother Liu?"

The moment Cai Tingyue spoke, the other three in the field were all stunned.

Ouyang Zhenyue and Lei Zhouyue stopped fighting. "There is no time to lose. Let us go take a look!"

A quarter of an hour earlier, Liu Yunshen had returned to the guest quarters. Along the way, every Four Swords Sect disciple warmly greeted him.

"Brother Liu!"

"Greetings, Brother Liu!"

"Look! Brother Liu is so handsome!"

"Junior Sister Zhao, your lovesick ailment is acting up again, isn't it?"

"Looking for a beating!"

The Four Swords Sect disciples varied in aptitude, but most possessed kind and honest temperaments. Liu Yunshen, who had long endured torment of both body and mind, felt a great warmth rise within him. He hurried back into his room and sat cross-legged in meditation. No wonder Master told me to practice at the four seasons of the day—midnight, noon, dawn, and dusk. But thinking carefully, so many things have happened lately. On some days, I was even fleeing for my life. Today seems to be the first time I have used the Sleep Skill at dusk!

Liu Yunshen steadied his breathing, then immediately lay down and circulated his art according to the third tier, Earth Vein Rooting. Within his inner vision, a bright moon unexpectedly rose, while the blazing sun naturally and unceremoniously hung above the Yellow Sprout's head!

"How truly wondrous!" Liu Yunshen examined it closely and cried out in surprise. That moon was not a real moon, but an illusory moon formed when the vast Water Profound Qi of Benevolent Heart Ripples beside him flowed into his dantian, reflected upon the rivers of his meridians, then mirrored into the sky!

Yellow Earth Qi and Azure Wood Qi streamed without end into the room from the trees and soil within the Four Swords Sect. The dense killing aura within the rusted iron sword entered his dantian and transformed into Western Refined Metal Qi. With the five qi full, his dantian erupted with a tremendous boom!

Boom!

The fourth tier of the first realm, Rain-Nourished Branching! An instant breakthrough!!

"Though the Five-Element Qi is far from pure, it still cannot compare with the acquired grain-and-water qi cultivated by ordinary Qi Refiners!" Liu Yunshen inspected the world within his dantian. The Yellow Sprout grew stronger once more as countless essences sank into the yellow earth, then entered the seabed, then followed the river cart to the Baihui at the crown of his head before descending from the Magpie Bridge!

Liu Yunshen's sword intent was pure. Jade liquid from the Flowery Pool traveled along the Magpie Bridge and was swallowed into the Twelve-Story Tower! A light rain fell within his dantian, and the Yellow Sprout leaped with joy. Aided by the rainwater, it rapidly grew!

"My saliva is cool and sweet, completely unlike usual!" Liu Yunshen's cultivation surged by another fifty percent!

Just as he advanced with bold and vigorous strides, five-colored light erupted from the entire guest quarters!

More than a thousand years ago, four Earth Immortal cultivators of the Pure Yang Realm who were about to ascend had set up a powerful formation in the Four Swords Sect. So long as one remained within the sect, whenever any companion advanced a major realm or minor stage, the formation's energy would immediately stack, benefiting every cultivator in the sect.

Later, an immortal of profound virtue cultivated within the formation and broke through to the Earth Immortal realm. At that time, every disciple in the first realm of Qi Refining within the sect was forcibly elevated to at least the second realm!

Seeing the colored light in the sky, all the disciples leaped with joy and promptly sat cross-legged!

"Quick, quick!"

"Hey! Wei Gui, you bastard, why did you take my toilet paper? Are you trying to make me break through my realm in the latrine?" A sect disciple, still clutching his trousers, cursed furiously at a mischievous friend with whom he was close.

"Haha! Big Brother Huang has Huang in his surname, so he must be fated with yellow-and-white things. This little brother will take the first step!"

It had been more than ten years since the sect disciples had last seen the formation activate. All were ecstatic. For a time, astral qi danced across the sky as everyone continuously drew it in!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Light shot skyward everywhere! With every additional disciple who broke through, the formation received further feedback, and the power of its layered tremors grew greater! The commotion lasted a full quarter of an hour.

At the least, everyone advanced one tier; at the most, some advanced as many as four tiers.

While Liu Yunshen circulated his art, he had cut himself off from the outside world and had not witnessed this commotion. Watered by the rain, the Yellow Sprout grew ever more vigorous. The jade liquid in his mouth gradually diminished, so he used gentle fire to nourish the Yellow Sprout. When he finished his cultivation, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

When he rose, stretched lazily, and opened his door, the four great sect masters were standing outside with respectful expressions!